


The Avengers remember 9/11

by GlynnisIsta8



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-20 04:50:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4774175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlynnisIsta8/pseuds/GlynnisIsta8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In honor and remembrance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Avengers remember 9/11

Steve felt it when he entered the Lounge in Avengers Tower- grief. He looked around the room. Bucky frowned and walked past him to sit in a chair against a wall, expression guarded.

The television was on. Flags flapped in the breeze while people at a podium read a list of names. A bell rang again and again.

Pepper Potts sat staring out at the City, eyes red and full of pained memory. She flinched whenever a familiar name was read. Tony Stark was quiet as he stood behind Pepper, hands on her shoulders. She had a hand over one of his, squeezing gently as she both gave and received comfort.

Jane and Darcy were squeezed tightly together, though the couch was large. They had their hands intertwined as they stared at the television screen, tension visible in their every motion. Thor stood behind them, watching silently, touched by his friends’ emotions though their bereavement was one he only shared from a distance.

Bruce sat at a table, eating breakfast and trying not to dwell on how different his life was all those years past- when he still felt completely like a member of the human race.

Tony turned his curious gaze to the spies. “Did SHIELD know what was going on? Did they let it happen?”

Natasha uttered a groan of frustration, while Clint jerked as though punched, scowling. Natasha spoke through gritted teeth. “You’re confusing SHIELD and Hydra, Tony.” She nudged Clint’s shoulder with hers. “Of course, Hydra had a hand in it.”

Steve frowned and closed his eyes, head bowed.

Darcy shook her head. “It’s still unbelievable. I was in high school gym class playing volleyball badly when the rumors started. The teachers didn’t want people to freak out, so we kept to our normal schedule at first. Later, they held an assembly, seriously patriotic, with counselors hovering around the edges in case anyone lost it.”  Her voice caught.  "One of my friends lost an uncle who worked at the restaurant.  Her dad came for her right after gym class. That rumor was true."  There was still an edge of confusion in Darcy's eyes.  Like so many, she'd yet to fully process the terror attack and its many consequences.

Steve opened his eyes again, watching the play of emotion across Darcy's innocent face.  She was honest, open, and compassionate.  It touched him more every time he saw her.

Bruce chuckled mirthlessly. “There were a lot of rumors at Culver, too.  You should have heard some of the theories!” He cocked his head. “And, it was so strange walking across campus and NOT hearing any commercial jets in the sky… You take things like that for granted.”

Pepper wiped her eyes, her voice thick. “Well, we knew it was the start of something, of war. We knew that a lot of innocent people were dying. I handed out so many water bottles to dust-covered people walking home in the aftermath. I still remember so many of those faces.”

Jane shook her head. “I never imagined that the Twin Towers would fall like they did. I thought people would get out.” She shuddered. “I was in Atlanta. They evacuated Downtown, worrying that other cities would be next. People were flabbergasted. We all thought hijackers just threatened and inconvenienced plane passengers during lengthy negotiations for prisoner release. No one could imagine that terrorists would use planes as missiles!”

Darcy sighed. “My dad was flying to Austin for work that day. I can’t imagine how bad my mom freaked out until he called after his plane was forced to set down in Houston. He was stuck there for three days, until they opened airports again. The rental cars all got taken before his plane landed, but a stranger gave him a lift to a hotel. My mom watched the news coverage constantly the whole time he was gone, expecting the emergency crews to find survivors in the rubble in New York.” She squinted. “This one lady kept getting interviewed. Her son was on one of the planes. I can’t remember his whole name, though she said it over and over. I think his first name was Mark? Anyway, I thought it was strange that she kept saying his first and last name. People don’t usually talk about their kids like that.”

Natasha murmured. “Mark Bingham. He was probably distracted when they talked. He said his whole name to her. So, she said it that way as she recounted the conversation. She wanted him to be remembered. He was one of the people who fought back on Flight 93.”

Tony grimaced. “At least it wasn’t with the **middle** name included. You know when they start calling someone ‘ _Lee Harvey Oswald_ ’ or ‘ _James Earl Ray_ ’ that they’re trouble.” He frowned with disgust. “Oswald!”

Bucky murmured, “Oswald missed. He wasn’t the one to kill Kennedy.” All eyes turned his way.

Tony swallowed hard. “Care to elaborate?”

Bucky shook his head. “Not really.”

Bruce winced. “Please tell me you didn’t have anything to do with John Lennon’s death.”

Bucky shook his head, his tone bitter. “That was ‘ _Mark David Chapman_ ’, not ‘ _James Buchanan Barnes_.’”

Darcy saw distress in Steve’s expression, and blurted the first thing that came to mind, to change the subject. “I guess for you guys the Pearl Harbor attack was the life-changing shocker that 9/11 was for us.”

Steve and Bucky exchanged a charged look. Bucky nodded. “We heard about it after we came out of church. My ma cried, because she knew what it meant. After we listened to the radio reporters go on and on about it, we walked down to hang out by the neighborhood steak house. All the guys were there. We all looked at each other differently. We knew it was gonna fall to us to sort it out. We knew some of us wouldn’t make it.”

Steve shook his head. “No one looked at me to sort anything out, then. I felt invisible, smaller than ever. Their eyes just skimmed past me.” Bucky looked stricken, but couldn’t disagree.  Steve's long-ago anguish hung in the air.

Struck by Steve’s pain, Darcy untangled herself from Jane, and walked over to give Steve a hug. He grinned with surprise, liking the feel of her against him. He chided. “Silly, sweet Darcy! That was a long time ago. I’m okay now.” One of his large hands splayed across her back, fingers spanning its entire width.  She felt delicate in his grasp.

Darcy looked up into Steve’s eyes while she stroked his cheek, shocked at her daring, but relieved to finally give in to the urge to touch him. It had plagued her from the first time they met. She took a deep breath and spoke with conviction. “If you hadn’t sorted out what you did, the list of world-changing events we’re discussing would include the Valkyrie bombings. Thank you.”

Steve blinked hard as he stared down into Darcy’s eyes. They’d never embrace before, and some part of him thought he ought to release her, but he didn’t want to. So, he kept his arms around her. He rumbled softly. “You’re welcome.” Tentative desire sparked and shuddered between them.

She finally shifted back, but took his hand and led him to sit on the couch beside her and Jane. She saw Bucky’s expression shift, happier at the sight of her and Steve together. As they sat, she twined her fingers through Steve’s. She gave him an inviting side-eye glance, and saw that he was doing the same, looking at her with a tiny smile.

Steve then looked down at their joined hands and gave hers a slight squeeze. She returned the gesture. He decided that he would ask her out the next time they were alone.

Watching the memorial ceremony served as a reminder. Life is too short for regret. It’s meant to be lived, savored.

The scene onscreen changed, showing the second plane’s impact into the South Tower. Everyone winced or blinked back tears.

Clint rasped, “I had friends who were with NYPD and FDNY- first responders. A lot of good men and women died helping people that day.”

Darcy’s voice shook. “I remember being so impressed when I heard people talk about the firefighters going _up_ the steps, while the office workers evacuated.” She grinned wanly, eyes moist. “That was before heroes became an everyday thing to me.” Steve squeezed her hand again.

Pepper wiped her cheeks dry, found a bottle of champagne and several glasses, poured some in each, and got Bruce to help her hand them out.

Tony looked around at the rest of the Avengers and their friends. “To the heroes of 9/11…” They all raised their glasses and toasted with heartfelt admiration.

**End.**

**Author's Note:**

> Un-beta'd. I just wanted to share a bit about what 9/11 was like. I was on a plane for a business trip. An online fandom was my lifeline for the next few days while I was stuck in a hotel alone, watching coverage. (Many businesses suspended or curtailed operations that week.)
> 
> It is a day we should always remember, especially for its real life heroes.
> 
> My dad is 93. I asked him about Pearl Harbor when we had breakfast a few days ago. He told me about going to hang out with the other young men in his neighborhood after hearing about the attack on the radio, and how they knew 'sorting it out' would fall to them.


End file.
